Snow in Rockies but Western drought continues

By Associated Press
| 12:48 p.m.May 12, 2014

A hummingbird perches on a branch covered in fresh snow from a spring snowstorm, at Eldorado Canyon State Park, in Eldorado Springs, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm has brought up to three feet of snow to the Rockies and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest. In Colorado, the snow that began falling on Mother's Day caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
The Associated Press

A hummingbird perches on a branch covered in fresh snow from a spring snowstorm, at Eldorado Canyon State Park, in Eldorado Springs, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm has brought up to three feet of snow to the Rockies and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest. In Colorado, the snow that began falling on Mother's Day caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

A biker passes fresh snow from the fringe of a major spring snowstorm in the nearby mountains, in Superior, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm has brought up to 3 feet of snow to the Rockies and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest. In Colorado, the snow that began falling on Mother's Day caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)The Associated Press

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A biker passes fresh snow from the fringe of a major spring snowstorm in the nearby mountains, in Superior, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm has brought up to 3 feet of snow to the Rockies and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest. In Colorado, the snow that began falling on Mother's Day caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Heavy snow weighs down trees and bushes as a woman runs in Washington Park in Denver on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm that has brought over a foot of snow to parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska and thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest was slowing down travelers and left some without power Monday morning. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)The Associated Press

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Heavy snow weighs down trees and bushes as a woman runs in Washington Park in Denver on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm that has brought over a foot of snow to parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska and thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest was slowing down travelers and left some without power Monday morning. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Fresh snow from a spring snowstorm covers a hillside in Boulder, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm has brought up to three feet of snow to the Rockies and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest. In Colorado, the snow that began falling on Mother's Day caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)The Associated Press

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Fresh snow from a spring snowstorm covers a hillside in Boulder, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm has brought up to three feet of snow to the Rockies and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest. In Colorado, the snow that began falling on Mother's Day caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Brian Pryor clears snow from the tree limbs in front of his home on University Hill in Boulder, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm that has brought over a foot of snow to parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska and thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest was slowing down travelers and left some without power Monday morning. (AP Photo/The Boulder Daily Camera, Paul Aiken) NO SALESThe Associated Press

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Brian Pryor clears snow from the tree limbs in front of his home on University Hill in Boulder, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm that has brought over a foot of snow to parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska and thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest was slowing down travelers and left some without power Monday morning. (AP Photo/The Boulder Daily Camera, Paul Aiken) NO SALES

In this Sunday May 11, 2014 photo, Carlos Estrada watches a wall cloud that spawned a tornado warning northwest of Dorchester, Neb. Nebraskans are beginning to clean up debris and assess the damage this weekend's severe thunderstorms and tornadoes left behind. (AP Photo/The Omaha World-Herald, Chris Machian) MAGS OUT; ALL NEBRASKA LOCAL BROADCAST, TV OUT

High school students walk past fresh snow from the fringe of a major spring snowstorm in the nearby mountains, in Boulder, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm has brought up to 3 feet of snow to the Rockies and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest. In Colorado, the snow that began falling on Mother's Day caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)The Associated Press

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High school students walk past fresh snow from the fringe of a major spring snowstorm in the nearby mountains, in Boulder, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm has brought up to 3 feet of snow to the Rockies and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest. In Colorado, the snow that began falling on Mother's Day caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Commuters pass fresh snow from the fringe of a major spring snowstorm in the nearby mountains, in Louisville, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm has brought up to 3 feet of snow to the Rockies and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest. In Colorado, the snow that began falling on Mother's Day caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)The Associated Press

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Commuters pass fresh snow from the fringe of a major spring snowstorm in the nearby mountains, in Louisville, Colo., on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm has brought up to 3 feet of snow to the Rockies and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest. In Colorado, the snow that began falling on Mother's Day caused some power outages as it weighed down newly greening trees. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Hector Rodrigues clears snow from a driveway to a parking structure in Denver on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm that has brought over a foot of snow to parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska and thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest was slowing down travelers and left some without power Monday morning. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)The Associated Press

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Hector Rodrigues clears snow from a driveway to a parking structure in Denver on Monday, May 12, 2014. A spring storm that has brought over a foot of snow to parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska and thunderstorms and tornadoes to the Midwest was slowing down travelers and left some without power Monday morning. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Volunteers clear bricks and debris from the roof of a building in Beaver Crossing, Neb., Monday, May 12, 2014. Beaver Crossing was hit hard after several tornadoes moved across Nebraska on Sunday causing damage to homes and businesses in or near Sutton, Garland, Cordova and Daykin. The storms also left more than 18,000 utility customers without electricity. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)The Associated Press

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Volunteers clear bricks and debris from the roof of a building in Beaver Crossing, Neb., Monday, May 12, 2014. Beaver Crossing was hit hard after several tornadoes moved across Nebraska on Sunday causing damage to homes and businesses in or near Sutton, Garland, Cordova and Daykin. The storms also left more than 18,000 utility customers without electricity. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

DENVER (AP) — A powerful spring storm that dumped more than 3 feet of snow in some parts of the Rockies closed a major national trucking route for more than 24 hours, snapped power lines and drew skiers to the slopes of Colorado's only remaining open ski area. Just to the south, some Arizona communities are rationing water because of drought, and to the west, drought-parched California is bracing for another week of hot weather that could fuel more wildfires. Welcome to springtime in the West, where May snowstorms are coinciding with the start to the region's wildfire season — and doing little to alleviate the overall regional drought.

SNOW: Spring is normally the wettest time of year in the Rockies. While snowfall is common in the mountains in May, significant snowfall at lower elevations like Denver in May only occurs every five or 10 years, Colorado state climatologist Nolan Doesken said. Denver got between 4 and 7 inches of typical heavy, wet spring snow. While much of it didn't stick to the warm ground, it weighed down trees just sprouting spring leaves and led gardeners to cover flowers and plants with plastic sheets and buckets. A freeze is expected to follow before warmer weather returns Tuesday.

TRAVEL: The storm shut down Interstate 80 through southern Wyoming and into Nebraska for more than 24 hours. Some drivers abandoned their vehicles while stranded truckers filled up rest area parking lots along the highway, which averages more than 6,000 trucks per day. Snowy conditions appear to have contributed to at least one fatal crash southwest of Denver. The snow caused minimal problems at Denver International Airport, canceling about 60 of its 1,600 daily flights and delaying both arrivals and departures in the morning. The airport also briefly lost power, stalling some escalators and elevators. Airport spokeswoman Julie Smith said a backup generator spared the airport any major problems.

DROUGHT: Much of the West remains in some stage of drought, with the worst conditions in Southern California and the Southern Plains and Texas Panhandle. Gusty Santa Ana winds are raising the fire danger in California, where temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees in drought-stricken inland areas this week. A wildfire on Sunday on the Panhandle's dry, dusty plains destroyed 75 homes in a mobile home community. Conditions vary greatly within states. While Colorado's overall amount of snow in the mountains — the state's main water supply — is close to average this year, the snowpack in its southwestern corner is way below normal and severe drought continues to afflict farms and ranches in the southeast. Fire officials are predicting a normal wildfire season for Colorado, which would be an improvement over recent years in which blazes have destroyed hundreds of houses.

SKIING: After lots of snow in March and April, many Colorado ski resorts added extra days of skiing but only one resort is still open. After getting 17 inches of new snow in the last three days, Arapahoe Basin says conditions are better than they were in February. Spokeswoman Leigh Hierholzer said about 2,000 people were on the slopes, apparently undeterred by slippery roads or the start of the work week.